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Detroit, MI’s self-touted “blue collar thrashers” BATTLECROSS are currently on the road with the TRESPASS AMERICA festival, which features Five Finger Death Punch, Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Emmure, Pop Evil, and God Forbid. The TRESPASS AMERICA festival and Amazon.com have just released an exclusive FREE music sampler with tracks from each band on the festival, available at this location now. This sampler includes the BATTLECROSS track ‘Push Pull Destroy’, cut from the band’s most recent release, Pursuit of Honor.

Take a look at a couple new videos featuring BATTLECROSS, including singer Kyle “Gumby” Gunther giving a quick hello before hopping on stage, as well as guitarists Tony Asta and Hiran Deraniyagala chatting about Monster Cables and how they help produce the heavy sound that they are known for!

See below for all confirmed BATTLECROSS tour dates and stay tuned for more updates coming soon!

BATTLECROSS touring with the TRESPASS AMERICA Festival:

JULY

27 San Antonio, TX – Freeman Coliseum

28 Beaumont, TX – Ford Pavilion

30 Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena

31 Evansville, IN – Ford Center

AUGUST

1 Cincinnati, OH – PNC Pavilion at River Bend

3 Battle Creek, MI – Kellogg Arena

4 Rochester Hills, MI – Meadowbrook Amphitheatre

5 Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavillion

7 Oswega, NY – Oswego Speedway

8 Glens Falls, NY – Glens Falls Civic Center

9 S. Burlington, VT – Higher Ground (off date w/ God Forbid)

10 Scarborough, ME – Scarborough Downs

11 Montreal, QC – HEAVY MTL

12 Buffalo, NY – Broadway Joes (BATTLECROSS only)

14 Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE (indoor stage)

15 Wallingford, CT – Oakdale Theatre

17 Worchester, MA – DCU Center

18 Newark, NJ – Prudential Center

19 Philadelphia, PA – Penn’s Landing – Festival Pier

21 Charlotte, NC – Time Warner Cable Uptown

22 Knoxville, TN – Knoxville Civic Coliseum

24 Oklahoma City, OK – Zoo Amphitheatre

25 Rio Rancho, NM – Santa Ana Star Center

26 Phoenix, AZ – Comercia Theatre

27 Las Vegas, NV – Cheyenne Saloon (BATTLECROSS only)

28 Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium

BATTLECROSS post-Trespass America tour dates:

AUGUST

31 Shreveport, LA – The Riverside Warehouse (w/ God Forbid)

SEPTEMBER

1 Memphis, TN – Newby’s (w/ God Forbid)

2 Louisville, KY – Phoenix Hill Tavern (w/ God Forbid)

Make sure to catch BATTLECROSS on this year’s MAYHEM FESTIVAL CRUISE setting sail from the Port of Miami, FL on December 7, 2012!

New Deals and Discounts for the Mayhem Cruise:

A special military discount is being offered at $599+ $249 port tax for an ocean view cabin (based on doubles).

New Quad cabin deal: 4A cabins Quads are now just $599 per person plus port tax.

Each friend that you refer to attend the cruise, you get $50 of onboard credit!

Anyone that purchases a cruise package will receive a ticket to the ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL for life!

DANKO JONES is extremely excited to announce that they will be releasing their new album Rock And Roll is Black and Blue on October 9, 2012.

Over the course of six full-length albums, DANKO JONES has forged a singular sound that draws equally from the blues, ‘60s garage, ‘70s hard rock, ‘80s hardcore, punky power-pop, Scandinavian metal, and classic stand-up comedy records without ever being fully defined by any of those sources. But while built from the same rudiments, each DANKO JONES record possesses a distinct sonic identity. Born A Lion (2002) brought the boogie and sledgehammer soul; We Sweat Blood (2003) was, by contrast, more anxious and aggro. Sleep Is the Enemy (2006) wielded the sharpest hooks. Never Too Loud (2008) was as slick as Below the Belt (2010) was stripped-down. But, compared to all that’s come before, Rock And Roll Is Black And Blue is, hands down, the most emotional and, as a result, the most epic DANKO JONES album to date.

Now, don’t be scared off by those E-words – there’s not a children’s choir, orchestra or piano ballad to be found within a 500-mile radius of this album. But what you hear on Rock and Roll is Black and Blue is the DANKO JONES ideal blown up to skyscraping proportions, resulting in 13 tracks that are bolder, brasher, and brawnier than anything they’ve attempted before.

The album is produced in full by their longtime partner in crime Matt DeMatteo and was mixed by Mike Fraser, known for his work with AC/DC, Aerosmith, Franz Ferdinand and Elvis Costello to name a few. It is also the first album recorded with “new” drummer Atom Willard – the sixth person in DANKO JONES history to hold the “drummer” title, but the first to stand on equal creative footing with Danko and his longtime foil, bassist John “JC” Calabrese. The man’s résumé speaks for itself: Not only was Willard the driving percussive force behind Danko’s all-time favorite San Diegan garage-punk armada Rocket From the Crypt, he’s also been keeping time for the multi-platinum likes of the Offspring, Social Distortion and Angels & Airwaves, so he knows how to drum his way around a massive tune.

The first single – “Just A Beautiful Day” – will be serviced to radio all over the world shortly.

The new album follows the June release of Bring On The Mountain – a two disc DVD featuring a 90 minute documentary, a short film, exclusive live clips from around the world and all the music videos they have ever done.

A lengthy European tour scheduled for October / November was announced during spring and with ticket sales already looking great we expect most shows to be sold out well before the doors open. Tour dates in Canada, US and Australia will be announced soon with more European touring and a busy festival summer in 2013 also on the horizon. European tour dates can be found here:

Eclipse has released a video for the title track of their up and coming album, Bleed and Scream. Bleed and Scream will be released August 24th in Europe and August 28th in the United States. Check out the clip below!

I was at a summer barbecue this past weekend, listening to good music and enjoying cold beer. Like most conversations that happen around me, the talk turned to music. A group of us started discussing concerts that we’ve been to, or plan to attend this summer. One of the guys mentioned that he just saw Def Leppard with Lita Ford and Poison. He told me what a great time he had and how he was surprised that Poison was still around. That got me to thinking. When did Poison get stuck as an opening act?

In the early 00s, Poison was headlining a glam festival every year. They would hit the road with Warrant, Cinderella, Sebastian Bach…the list was endless. They even put out an album of brand new material in 2002, Hollyweird. And while it wasn’t their best record, it was cool that Poison was recording new music for the fans that wanted it. Then, something strange happened. In 2004, Poison (apparently) couldn’t afford to go out on a headline tour, so they decided to open for Kiss. And while that was a cool concept for one tour, it never should have become the status quo.

In 2006 Poison went on a co-headlining tour with Cinderella. In 2007, they hit the road with Ratt in support of their terrible covers album, Poison’D. After a 2008 headlining tour with Dokken and Sebastian Bach, the band spent 2009 opening for Def Leppard. In 2010, Poison did not tour at all. The next year they opened for Motley Crue, and this year, they are out opening for Def Leppard once again. This is a band that ten years ago was headlining sold out concerts. Sure, they were in sheds across America, but they were still headlining to 12,000 people. That’s quite a feat! And now, they have been pushed to an opening act, exactly what they were at the start of their career. How can the band be all right with this?

I am sure that the money they earn makes it easier to swallow their pride and open, but what the band should be doing is working on new material and preparing themselves to be headliners once again. Even without new music, if Poison would decide to perform some different songs live, they could be headliners once again. The biggest issue that I have with Poison is that they play the same set list year after year after year. Why not try and mix it up by performing a few tracks from Crack A Smile, or HollyWeird. Why not play something from Native Tongue other than “Stand?” Why not perform a few of the studio tracks from the live albums? Of course Poison is always going to play “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” “Talk Dirty To Me,” and “Nothing But A Good Time.” I understand that. But why not shake it up with “Cover Of A Rolling Stone” instead of “We’re An American Band?” Pull out “No Ring No Gets” and lose “Ride The Wind.” Yes, I love “Ride The Wind” too, but I’d much rather hear a song that I’ve never heard the band perform live.

And if Poison is worried about not being able to carry the load themselves, then gather up another band or two and have them come out with you for support. Warrant (with Robert Mason) would be a great choice. Night Ranger has been incredible on the road, and they would make a great pairing with Poison. If Kix could be talked into doing a summer tour, a Kix/Poison concert would sell like hotcakes. And there is always Cinderella, a very popular draw.

As for opening acts, there are a ton of classic bands out there that would fit this bill. Great White, Lynch Mob, Mike Tramp, Enuff Z’Nuff, and Bang Tango are all available. They would all be a great addition to the tour. It could even be one of the best tours of the summer if done correctly. It’s just a shame to see the once mighty Poison, one of the best live acts of the 80s circuit, to be used as an opening band, when they could clearly be out on their own. I can only hope that the band will hear my plea. Also, a new album of original material would be nice. Please don’t leave us with Poison’D as your final studio album. That would be a disgrace.